Thursday, January 28, 2010

This whole Haiti mess has been really depressing. So much destruction! But in it all, I have read stories of people stepping up to the plate and really caring for their fellow humans. Enjoy some of this beauty:

LONDON - A young British schoolboy has raised more than 100,000 pounds ($160,000) Monday for Haiti's relief effort by cycling round his local park.

Seven-year-old Charlie Simpson was so upset by the images of Haiti's deadly earthquake that he asked his mother if she could help him set up a sponsored bicycle ride around a west London park.

LifeChurch Rescue: Ramon Crespo isn't leaving Port-au-Prince. Though the dozen children from the Rescue Children orphanage are safe in the countryside, he and six other men from his Pennsylvania church remain behind, helping their neighbors with food, water, medicine and shelter.

The small group plans to stay for at least another two weeks, said Randy Landis, the senior pastor of Lifechurch in Allentown, Pa. The church volunteers went down after the earthquake to safeguard the children they were responsible for. Most of the group, including Landis, is now back in the States.

But no help has arrived for their neighbors in the Santo neighborhood, one mile northeast of the airport in Port-au-Prince. So the intense Crespo, director of missions for the church, has stayed behind, setting up a distribution system for families living under tents.

In the countryside, the 12 Lifechurch children have settled in at the Love A Child orphanage in Fond Parisien, "We taught the children how to play kickball today, lots and lots of fun," Landis said in an update on his Facebook page (registration required: ). "We played kickball for four hours."

The successful trip for Lifechurch depended on the kindness of many strangers.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - It wasn't long after Tuesday's earthquake leveled nearly all of the houses next to Claude Surena's that neighbors started showing up at his doorstep.

For years, the 59-year old pediatrician had treated the sick at his two-story hillside home near the center of the Haitian capital.

Suddenly, he was running a triage center, treating more than 100 victims on his shaded, leafy patio with food and supplies salvaged from ruined homes.Meanwhile, he keeps everyone at his house because they have nowhere else to go. He sent three patients in urgent need of surgery to a hospital on the airport road Thursday, but he took them back in after they were refused admission.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

I have been told thirty million times that I look like Sandra Bullock, and it drives me crazy, because I think she's completely unattractive. Her style, too, is often terrible! So its with great pride that I canf finally put her on a best dressed list, and say she looks brilliant! Its an Alexander McQueen gown, it fits perfectly, and the electric blue lights up her face: Kate Hudson is just so pretty, I don't know if i'm just distracted by that.She's gorgeous! But this is an elegant, unique gown that I think she wears outstandingly:

Monique Lhuillier made a very lovely dress, but I hate Drew's makeup, so its hard for me to appreciate it. Still, ignore the face, check out the gown!!

Diane Kruger is quickly becoming the queen of the red carpet. Everyone is comparing this to Michelle William's Oscar gown (which, in my opinion, it doesn't even come close-that was as near to perfect as a look could be!). Still, its lovely, unique, and couture:

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

This may not be to some people's taste, both the music and the video direction is a little odd. But I find the little boy dancers absolutely enchanting, and there's something very rich in Fiona's voice.

This is the song Paper Bag, and the music video was directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, who recently got acclaim for directing the Oscar-winning movie There Will Be Blood. At the time of this music video, they were dating.

Perhaps this explains the video's slightly strange, but still pleasant, take on the song.

See, it doesn't even matter that they're not as cute as the movie star couple, they have all the spunk and spirit.

His name is Sid, and her's is Mary. They met at Pleasant Peak Middle School, where he teaches math and she teaches social studies. On weekends they have movie marathons that last deep into the night, and when they get really crazy around 3 am, they pause the movie and act the next scene out themselves, since they know every second by heart.

They knew they were right for each other when they compared collections of vintage comic books.

Sid and Mary are planing a honeymoon for Tokyo, where they hope to take on some of the adventures they've always read about.

I am completely sure these two will have a long and wondrous marriage.

Monday, January 11, 2010

It's typical Donatella Versace style, but this one I think has some extra spunk and flair I really enjoy!!

Not sure how I feel about the plastic-y look, but I love the fit, coloring, and the dark hair of the model:

Chanel Iman, one of my very favorite models, looks amazing in this jacket.Freja Baha isn't one of my favorite models, and I hate her hair here, but this is an eclectic, cute and quirky dress, I think:

this is just so well fitting, I have to love it!

Abbey Lee Kershaw is another of my favorite models, though I don't like her makeup here. Still this dress is vivacious and fun, and I love how it looks on her!

Some amazing pieces from Versace this season, especially the short dresses. The long gowns at the end felt trashy to me, but some of the art-deco, bright colors of the first pieces really stood out as fun and eye catching.

Its funny that I haven't posted more songs here, since I live and breath music. Well, this is a perfect one to begin with.

I love it because I listen to it when I don't know what else do to.

There's something comforting about country music. Its steady and earthy and sensible. I feel connected and real when I listen to it. Any mental/physical/spiritual revival of mine is incomplete with a raw country song to boost me on.

And here, my friends, is a brilliant example of exactly what I'm talking about.

On the side here you see Cassidy and Deirks, a dream couple. They were friends in fifth grade, and he had a boyish crush on her-who wouldn't, she's gorgeous! Then, and all through high school, he tried to get to her, but she knew he was immature. He was crazy and wild and not ready to settle down, and she refused. Well Deirks, he grew and learned about what he loved and what he knew, and grounded himself in music. With his newfound fame, girls flung themselves at him from every single corner of the country. But Deirks knew what he wanted. Years later, he came back to Cassidy, this time every inch the man she needed.

So I doubt I'm the only person who has been absolutely blown away by the Irish Dance troupes put together by Michael Flately. Without a doubt, they do the most phenomenal dancing I have ever seen. There are many videos, and just seeing one clip, you can't get so completely involved in it like you can if you watch the whole performance. But hopefully this will give you a taste of the beauty, structure, and power of the dance.

As a young girl, I was able to go with my grandparents to see Lord Of The Dance live. Michael Flately had retired by that time, but the moment was incredible. The footsteps pound in your chest, the music literally pulsates through you. Its unforgettable.

This is one of the earliest touring seasons of Riverdance, with the original cast. Michael Flately, the producer, director, choreographer, and lead dancer, was not yet so heady and flamboyant. It's a plainer version, but the dancing is just as brilliant.

Here is years later, now that Michael has gotten some (well deserved) acclaim. He's gotten kinda showy and proud, I think-check out the strutting like a peacock-and the costumes, lightshows, and music is more intense. Still, the dancing is mind blowing.

I suggest once just closing your eyes and listening to the sound of their steps. It really is amazing.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Well, I don't know about you, but looking over our top selling media for this year embarrassed me. What shallow, silly, and often downright bad picks! I'm rather ashamed of our country.

TOP BOX OFICE HITS

1. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

2. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

3. Up

4. Twillight Saga: New Moon

5. Avatar

6. The Hangover

7. Star Trek

8. Monsters Vs. Aliens

9. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

10. The Blind Side

Oh Well, it was a bad year for the movies. I've yet to see Blind Side, which is hopeful but otherwise, this year was sorry!

Still, this is focusing on the loveliness, so I scrounged through and found 3 movies that I could actually happily recommend.

Best Cartoon:

Up

I'm sure you've heard it a million times, but Pixar really did do it again!

It's funny, its sweet, and ever so original.

Best Romantic: 500 Days Of Summer

This is the first romance that doesn't end the way you expect it to. And the first romance that tells you that in the very first scene. It's tells the story in such a creative, quirky way that you fall in love, anyway.

Family films have become so predictable and stupid that its hard to find a good one. And while 17 Again wouldn't win any awards for outstanding originality, it has enough funny moments and interesting curveballs to be entertaining and amusing. There's also a bit of a thoughtful moral to encourage conversation in families.

Plus, I'm sorry, but Zac Efron is just beautiful. Left those High School Musical days behind!

I tried really hard to find a top action movie, but I really struggled. Everything was just so LAME! Haven't seen Avatar yet, maybe that will fill the spot. Lets hope!

Last week Florida Gators Quarterback Tim Tebow admitted something that most football players would rather die before saying. And he did with a proud smile on his face. At 21 years of age and graced with boyish good looks, Tebow is one of the most talked about rising stars of the NCAA; but the football superstar literally left reporters speechless last week when he answered a question during a press conference about whether or not he is "saving himself" for marriage. "Yes I am," said Tebow briefly, who then indicated he was ready for the next question. However, in the video of the press conference, a reporter is heard stumbling over his words in the background as he tries to ask a follow-up question. Tebow then laughs, obviously reacting to the reactions of the reporters in the room.

"I think y'all were stunned by that," he says. "Y'all can't even ask a question. Wow. I mean, I was ready for that question. I don't think y'all were."

I'm featuring this for the beauty of a man being a real man and doing what he believes, even when people may think he's sissy. That's anything but. Thanks, Tim!

Secret Santa hands out $100 to strangers

PORTLAND, Maine - Christmas came three days early at a Goodwill store in Maine's largest city.

An anonymous man dressed in a Santa suit handed out envelopes containing $100 each to 100 unsuspecting shoppers Tuesday evening at the store in Portland.

The surprise giveaway was similar to what a Missouri man did for years. Larry Stewart, of Kansas City, handed out $100 bills during the holidays, but remained anonymous until shortly before his death in 2007.

I couldn't think of a better place to go hand out money than a Goodwill, where practical people are making thrifty purchases at a store to benefit the poor.

There should be more people like this!!

16 Year Old Boy Starts a Backyard School

Babar Ali, a 16-year-old student from West Bengal, India, takes his schoolwork very seriously. Every day after a six-mile journey to school, he sits in the front row and works tirelessly to transcribe his teachers’ lessons. Then, each day, Babar races home after his lessons are over, where hundreds of children from his village are waiting in his backyard. These are children too poor and unequipped to attend school, and so look to Babar to teach them what he has learned. Babar began giving lessons to his friends from the village at age nine, and word has spread far and wide over the last seven years. Soon, other children began crowding in, eager to see what he could teach them. Today, more than 800 students come to his backyard to learn, and his program has grown: now, Ali shares the spotlight with nine other volunteer teachers, and provides his students with donated food and textbooks.

Ali comes from a poor family himself, and, combined with household chores, traveling, and school attendance, his makeshift classroom takes a heavy toll on his time. But he believes his efforts are more than worth whatever sacrifices he may be making.

“In the beginning I was just play-acting, teaching my friends, but then I realized these children will never learn to read and write if they don’t have proper lessons. It’s my duty to educate them, to help our country build a better future.”

What a beautiful boy! If there were more people like this in the world, my blog would be happily unnecessary! I wish I had a photo of him.

Friday, January 1, 2010

There were many beautiful dresses this year, and I enjoyed every single one of them. Picking out my very favorites was a hard task, because there were just so many!

So I've decided to divide several of them up into categories, so I can share as much lovlieness with you as possible!

Enjoy!

If you have any gowns that particularly stand out to you as needing to be on this list, let me know! I'd love to hear commentary.

Now, without further ado, lets get started......

For Best Color, I have to begrudgingly give it to Shakira. The dress is cheerful and bright, and very flattering. She made all the right choices with hair, jewelry, and makeup.My Best Bling award is a tie between two pretty country blondes. Maybe I could split it up into Best Gold, for Julianne Hough's glowing look, and Best Silver, for Taylor Swift's sleek shimmer.

Overall Most Bold award goes to Rihanna, who, I admit, has had some absolute failures, but has continued to push the envelope and found some absolutely stunning and surprising gowns.

The Best Ball Gown award goes to Marion Cotiliard, who is always dressed gorgeously, at the Oscars for her black and blue Dior tulle perfection:Best Black award goes to Reese Witherspoon at the CMAs. She makes this gorgeous dress look refined and lovely instead of sleazy, and her hair and makeup complement it perfectly!Best Short goes to Carrie Underwood (Grammy party), in Georges Shakra. It fits her perfectly, has a very unique style, and absolutely shines!Evan Rachel Wood recieves the overall Most Elegant 2009 award, for classy and stunning pieces like these two. She seems to have left behind her gothic past and embraced her porcelain beauty!

And I know some may disagree with me, but I'm giving Katy Perry the Best Stylish Quirky award for finding creative dresses that aren't ridiculous, but well fitting and fun.

I don't know about you, but I am looking forward to the change. Its been a draining and often frustrating year...so I'm sure liking the idea of a blank page and a totally new decade! Hopefully it'll be lovely for everyone.

Before we step into all this newness, though, I thought it'd be good to take a quick look back at some of the loveliness of 2009. There were certainly some great moments, and I'd like to share some. Enjoy some encouraging stories, and some of my favorites in fashion and music.

Favorite red carpet gown:

Man, this was hard for me!! There were many absolutely gorgeous red carpet gowns, just like every year. I looked through them all and sighed with happiness at their beauty. This one, January Jone's wearing Atelier Versace at the Emmy awards kept staying in my mind.

I love the absolute uniqueness of it...haven't seen anything like it ever before! Its almost white, but barely mint green. It has an intriciate, structured bodice and a dreamy flowing skirt. The gown fits her perfectly.

And so, for it's uniqueness and beauty, I crown it my favorite gown.

I will, however, be posting some runners-up later; there were too many pretty dresses to feature just one!!

A happy news story of 2009:

Woman's Cabdriver donates his kidney

Rita Van Loenen had kidney failure, and was on dialysis 4 times monthly. She had the same taxi driver every time, Thomas Chappell. Their friendship grew through those drives, and when Mr. Chappell found out that her kidney transplant had failed, he offered to donate his own. Still, Rita was touched by her cabbie's life-changing donation offering. Of course, this was no guarantee that the kidney was going to match...

it did!

This year, Rita will receive her cabbie's kidney. The fit was perfect, the doctor's said it was as if they were siblings. What a precious story! I think it's even more precious when you see the two friends:

Who wore your favorite Golden Globe dress?

Nothing But Lovely

This blog is for everyone who is tired of constant bad news and sadness. It is devoted to all things beautiful and delightful. Music, fashion, dancing, photography, stories, and many other bites of happiness will be here whenever you need a lift.Enjoy.